Senior Congress politician Kapil Sibal emphatically denied joining the BJP on Thursday, a day after Jitin Prasada crossed sides to the saffron party.
Last year, Prasada and Sibal were two of the 23 signatories to a petition to interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi requesting fundamental reforms in the party.
“We’re true Congressmen, never in my life will I think of joining BJP, like over my dead body. It could be that if Congress leadership informs me to leave. I may think of leaving party on that basis but won’t join BJP,” Sibal was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Prasada, who was close to former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, joined the BJP on Wednesday, ahead of the key Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections early next year.
Sibal added that if Prasada had left the party because of the leadership’s reaction to the letter writers’ concerns, it was his personal choice and that he was free to do so, but he questioned why he chose to join the BJP.
“What is the rational basis for that except for ‘prasada (personal gain) politics… We see this happening around the country,” Sibal said.
The top official also expressed trust in Congress’ leadership’s ability to listen and address the party’s internal problems. “…because nothing exists without hearing; no corporate organisation, and certainly not politics, can thrive without listening. You will have horrible days if you do not listen.”
Meanwhile, in a tweet, Sibal took a swipe at Prasada asking if will he get “prasada” from BJP or he was just a “catch” for the UP elections.
Prasada’s departure is the latest blow for the party, which has been losing leaders since 2014. After Jyotiraditya Scindia’s switch to the BJP last year, he is the second young face close to Rahul Gandhi to defect. After serving as ministers in the last UPA administration and being part of Rahul Gandhi’s close circle, these young politicians leave a significant void in the Congress.
M Veerappa Moily, a senior Congressman, remarked earlier in the day that the Congress has to undergo “major surgery” and not rely solely on legacy, adding that top leadership must prioritise ideological commitment while delegating responsibilities to leaders.
Moily said that Prasada’s ideological commitment was suspicious from the start, and that the party gaining zero seats in West Bengal under his leadership demonstrated that he was incapable.
The Congress must reconsider and re-strategize some of these issues, and only then will the party be able to go forward, according to the Union minister.
Prasada praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday and said that he was leaving the Congress since he was unable to serve the people while in the party.
“BJP is the only true political party and the only national party,” says Prasada. He also said that in his old political party, he felt he was “just surrounded by politics” and that he had been unable to “contribute and perform my work for the welfare of the people.”
